Roll paper



Aug. 4;"1931.

G. T. JHNsoN ROLL PAPER Filed Feb. 19, 19:50

Patented Aug. 4, 1931 GEORGE T. JOHNSON, OF YVETTE PLAINS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T THE GEORGE T'.

JOHNSON COIETPANY, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION 0F MASSACHU- SETTS ROLL PAPER Application filed February 19, 1930.

lthreaded portion, a wound roll of web inaterial having a central core upon which the said material is wound, said core constituting a permanent element of the roll and serving as a central support for the wound convolutions, fittings in connection with the rollcore having openings centrally of the roll and core, one of said fittings cooperating as a nut-element with said quick-threaded portion of the shaft to occasion endwise travel 29 of the roll when the end of the wound strip is pulled upon to unwind the saine, a collar on the shaft acting in connection with the other fitting to center the roll, and a spring acting on said collar to return the roll endwise when the pull upon the strip terminates. The said devices are designed, more especially, for serving or dispensing short sections or sheets from a Wound roll comprising a wound continuous length of web ina-l terial, iii particular paper, usually having transverse lines of weakening at distances apart corresponding with the length of different parts intended to be dispensed separat-ely, as in the case of toilet paper, paper towels, and the like. In operation, when the rexternal end of the web material is pulled upon it occasions an unwinding revolution of the roll as the web material is drawn oft' from the latter. ln this revolution the interengagement between the nut-element and the quick-threaded portion of the shaft operates to occasion travel of the roll bodily endwise,

.n 1 c i ntil the Y t1 nsversel-V of )me genel [d fixture u the spiral threads of the shait or spindle.

rollbrings up against the side arm which is 5 adjacent the said quick-threaded portion of the shaft. Thereby the travelof the roll endwise is arrested, and this operates to arrest the revolution of the roll, with the result that continuation of the p ull upon the out-- standing; portion of the web material causes Serial No. 429,761.

the said portion to tear across and separate from the material still remaining wound. The detachment of the said outstanding portion of the web leaves the roll free to be revolved reversely, which it tends to do by reason of the spring-action operating to move the roll bodily endwise in the opposite direction so as to cause travel of the nut-element along theA quick-threaded portion of the shaft.

Fig. 1 of the drawings shows my improved devices, including a roll of web material, and the small drum which in accordance with the present invention is fitted inside the tubular roll-core to constitute a roll-mounting, the roll and drum being shown sectioned in a plane extending lengthwise thereof. The supporting base cr bracket of the fixture, and portions of the side-arms, are omitted as unnecessary to be shown.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a portion of the side-arm to which the spirally-threadcd shaft or spindle isV attached.

F 3 is a view of the inner portion of the said arm.

Fig. 4 shows the spirally-threaded portion of the shaft or spindle just mentioned.

Fig. 5 is a view looking at the outer end of the said shaft or spindle.

Fig. 6 shows in end elevation a roll of paper and a roll-mounting or drum occupying the axial hole through the tubular core of the face ofthe said vsaid roll, with the outer end of the paper web hanging free in readiness to be grasped by hand.

Fig. 7 shows a roll-mounting or drum separately in side elevation.

Fig. 8 shows the same in side elevation with the connector-device presented at the front.

Fig. 9 is an elevation of one end of the rollniounting or drum, illustrating the disk constituting the nut-element which engages with Fig. 10 is an elevation of the opposite end of said drum, illustrating the centering disk at the opposite end of the roll-mounting or drum. -f

Fig. 11 shows dierent views of the connector-de-vice.

Y tuated by Fig. 12 is a View showing the drum in longitudinal section.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged perspective view of the nut-element, showing the oblique relation of the tllread-engaging portions thereof.

T he drawings show only such parts as require to be shown for the purpose of making clear the nature, relations, and purposes oit' the features ot the invention. rhe base or back-plate olf the lixture is omitted, as Well as portions of the side-arms 2., Zd. T he roll-supporting extremities of the side-arms are represented, together with a shaft or spindle which is attached by one end thereof to the one sidearin, namely 2, and extends across toivard the opposite side-arm, namely 2, rEhe adjunets ot' the said shaft or spindle are represented. The drawings show a Wound roll of paper 15 having a tubular central core 161, and the drum or roll-mounting to Which reference has been made.

The side-arm is shown in closed posit-ion, with the free extremity ot the shaft or spindle seated within a central hole in a boss or hub 14 of said side-arm, and with the parts locked in such relations through the cooperation of locking means (only partial-ly represented) on the order of that of U. S. Patent No. 1,595,912) dated August 10, 1926 (1V. H. Needham). A lock-controlling sleeve shown at 32 corresponds with that of this patent last mentioned.

rl`he shaft or spindle and its adjnncts correspond with those of my patents aforesaid, in respect of the screw-threaded sha'lt-portion 8, the spring 10 upon the adjoining portion of smaller diameter of said shalt or spindle, and the collar 11 movable upon the shai'it or spindle at one end of the said spring and acthe latter for roll-centering purposes. i

The threaded portion 8 of the shaft or spindle resembles that in the case of my tivo patents in respect ot being quick-threaded; also, in respect of being inultiple-threa'ded, it having lour threads which are spaced somewhat Widely apart as indicated in Figs. 1` Lle, and 5 of the drawings hereot, the said threaded portion being square in cross-sec tion, as appears in Fig. 5.

In my said patents the wound roll of paper er the lille which is applied to the dispensing apparatus or fixture for dispensing purposes has, as a permanent part of the said Wound roll. a central nut-element or female screw (17) or its equivalent, permanently in connection with the roll-core, namely Within the longitudinal opening or passage ot the rollcore, and engaging With the quiclrhreaded portion 8 of the shaft or spindle. It has also, likewise as a permanent part of the Wound roll, and permanently in connection with the roll-core, also within said longitudinal opening or passage, a disk (18) having a central hole into which a centering collar (11) carried by the shaft or spindle lits. The said nut-element and the said disk serve to keep the roll concentric with the shaft or spindle. It is to be observed that in the said patents, the central nut-element and the supplemental centering disk to which ret erence has just been made are attached fixedly to the tubular core or shell upon which the paper is wound and which remains Within the Wound roll after the removal of the latter from the Winding machine. This aflixing ot the nut-element and supplemental centering disk to and Within the said tubular shell or core, in permanent attachment thereto, my present invention is designed to obviate. Such aiining h-as proved to present a practical drawback constituting an obstacle to the Winding of the roll. lis will be obvious, it is not feasible to ellect the winding of a large number ot rolls side by side upon cores mounted' upon a winding` spindle or arbor of suitable proportions and length. In practice, the Winding of individual rolls has had to be resorted to. A ynei'erred practical and economical mode of Winding consists in slipping the desired number o'l cores end to end upon a winding spindle or arbor, and then Winding upon the collection of cores a web of a corresponding total width, such web being slitted during the process oi'i Winding into narrow Webs or strips corresponding in width with the length ol the cores. After a series of rolls have been Wound side by side on this basis of procedure, the Wound rolls may be removed from the spindle or arbor.

Having reference now more particularly to the features of the invention,

I provide asma-ll drum, lol. properly proportioned, &c., to occupy the interior oit the tubular Vcore 161'" constituting u internal baseof the wound roll, and adapted to permit the said roll to be slipped upon it so that the roll and drum may occupy with respect to each other the relations in which they are shown in Figs. 1 and 6. I combine with the drum a nut-element 171 and a centering disk 181, functioning similarly to the nutelement and centering disk of the two patents.

The previously Wound roll having a tubular internal shell or core with unobstructed bore or axial passage therethrough, and the drum, are combined with each other by slipping the drum inside the said bore or axial passage through the said roll. As thus combined with each other they jointly are combined with the shaft or spindle by tlneading them endwise upon the shaft or spindle so that the latter shall extend through the central openings ot the nut-element and centering disk, and so that the threaded shaftportion S shall be engaged within the said nuteelern'enit, and the centering collar 11 -e an within the central hole through the centering disk, all as in Fig. 1.

' Inter-engagement between the drum and the tubular shell or core 161, when one is employed, or the wound mass if a tubular shell or core should be dispensed with, may be eeeted in any approved manner, to cause the drum to turn in unison with the Wound roll when the outer end of the wound web is pulled upon for dispensing purposes. Preferably, this is done without weakening the core or the material at the roll-interior, and

without blocking the passage therethrough,

as would result from notching the sides of the passage, or providing protuberances therein. Simple frictional engagement, suflicient in degree, will be found adequate in some cases. Preferably I provide special means for locking the two together, so as to secure positive engagement. The drawings show a convenient clutch-member or grip-device 162 which I have devised. It consists of a strip of suitable material, sinuous or corrugated, and having its length disposed lengthwise of the drum. Preferably, this strip is made of a more or less resilient material, such as metal. The prominent portions of this strip take hold against the inner surface of the shell or core 161 (or of the wound web when a shell or core is not employed). Thus such portions either act frictionally against such surface, or may bite into it. The bends confer elasticity. The number of prominences may vary from one upward. The strip in this instance is combined conveniently with the drum byhaving its ends hooked around liange-like portions of the drum at the ends of the latter.

rIhe nut-element and the centering disk may be composed, advantageously, of metal disks, although disks of other suitable material may be substituted if preferred. In practice, the hole 17 2 in the nut-element or female screw fits the multiple-threaded portion 8 of the shaft or spindle, and at least one portion of the boundary of such hole should occupy a valley between adjacent prominent threads. In my patents aforesaid, and in the drawings hereof, the hole is four-sided, and each side fits, as just described, between two threads. In the said patents the sides of the hole are constituted by simple cut edges liable in the case of light metal to become cut by the threads of the spindle and bent and displaced so as to fail to engage with the threads, and so as to permit displacement of the roll and nut-element transversely of their diameters, with resulting failure of the nut element to cooperate in the intended manner with the threaded portion of the shaft or spindle, to produce travel of the roll endwise into end-contact with side-arm 2. In accordance with one feature of the invention, in order to avoid the drawback just mentioned, I reenforce the thread-engaging portions of the nut-element. This may be effected variously. In the present instance it is effected through curling or rolling the material of the nut-element upon itself at the boundary of the hole, so that the side which enters between two threads appears as indicated in section in Figs. 1 and 12. In addition, I turn the rolls 171a thus formed to the outer Side of the disk, as shown. These rolls of the disk material give strength and resist the tendency to cutting and breaking down. If such cutting and breaking down should occur, the hole through the nut-element would become more or less rounded, and through losing its rectangular shape, would cease to cooperate properly with the quick-threaded portion of the shaft, which as already stated, is essentially non-circular in cross-section.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, I form the centering disk 181 of a funnel-shape, as indicated in Fig. 1, with the concave side thereof facing the nut-element, so that in passing the drum lengthwise into working position upon the shaft or spindie the tip of the latter will be guided into the central hole of the centering disk.

It will be noted in the case of the rolled portions 171L of the nutelement that there is a certain Obliquity of each rolled portion giving a certain degree of pitch to the nuts element which causes the same to conform to the thread-portions of the quick-threaded shaft, to accommodate the prominence of one thread-portion and in addition enter into the concavity between such thread-portion and the next adjoining thread-portion, whereby to ensure effective nut-engagement. That is, the bearing-edge B, comprising the line extending lengthwise of each curl or roll in which lie all the points which are presented to the shaft or spindle, is in oblique relation to the plane of the disk 171.

rIlhe side-arm 2 is shown with a rounded boss 21 surrounding the screw-threaded hole 22 in which the screw-threaded outer extremity of the quick-threaded shaft is seated and made fast. The said rounded boss is so proportioned that the rim of the extremity of the drum 151 passes over and encloses the same at the end of the traverse of the drum toward the arm 2. The boss is formed with' an inner concavity 23'which accommodates the rounded rolls or curls 171ZL of the nutelement as the drum 151 brings up against the boss.

IVhen the movement of the tubular drum 151 toward the left, Fig. 1, is arrested by its engagement with the arm 2, the curls 171a bordering the square hole 172 are in immediate proximity to or in contact with, the wall of the recess or cavity 23 and therefore said wall supports and holds said curls against being deformed. That is to say, where drum 151 is against arm 2 the pressure of the threads of the spindle against the sides of the square hole 172 is prevented from breaking down or crushing the sides of said hole by the wall of the recess 23 which then surrounds and supports the curls 171L constituting said sides.

I claim as my inventionf* l. In combination, a core, a roll of web material wound thereupon, and a roll-mounting comprising a drum fitting within the central opening of said core after the completion of the roll-winding operation, the said drum having a nut-element constituting a female screw adapted to cooperate with a quickthreaded portion of a supporting spindle of a dispensing fixture of the class described, and having also a centering-element having a hole acting as a hearing for the drum upon such supporting spindle, and means engaging the interior surface of the core with the nut-element and preventing relative rotation of the core with respect to the nut-element.

2. In a dispensing apparatus for roll wound material, in combination, a supporting arm, a threaded roll-supporting spindle made fast to the said arm and projecting i atei-ally therefrom, a roll-liolding drum havingr a disk-like nut-elen'ient whose nut-portion is constituted by curls of the disk that face outwardly, said arm having an abutment boss cooperating with the end of the drum and also having a recess to receive said curls, the wall of said recess serving to support the curls against being deformed or displaced by the pressure of the threaded spindle to which they are subjected when the movement of said dru-m is arrested by said abutment boss.

As an article of manufacture, a dispensing package comprising a roll of web material, a core upon which the same is wound, and a device, including a female screw, applicable to the core-interior after winding the web material on the core, and means positively engaging the device with the interior surface of the core and having hearing engagement with the core at points relatively widely separated lengthwise of the core. to maintain the member in substantially co-aial and in non-rotatable relation with the coi'e.

fl. In a dispensing device for wound web material mounted on a core, a core-support including a disk-like nut-element having the equivalent of female threads formed by curling outwardly portions of the disk about a central hole, with the bearing-edges of the curls obliquely-disposed to the plane of the disk.

5. In combination, a cored-roll-supporting device for a dispensing fixture having a quick-threaded spindle, means for engaging the surface of such device with the interior surface of the core of the roll after the latter has been wound to enforce rotation in unison, and a nut-element carried by the device to limit unwinding rotation of the roll about the quick-threaded spindle to the amount of rotation permitted by the spindle to the nutelement.

6. In combination, a cored-roll-supporting device for a dispensing fixture having a quick-threaded spindle, and means interposed between such device and the interior surface of the core for fixing such device in the core of the roll after the latter is wound, and a nut-element carried by the device to limit unwinding rotation of the roll about the quick-threaded spindle to the amount of rotation permitted by the spindle' to the nutelement, such device having a bearing against the core-interior at points relatively widely separated in the direction of the length of the core and roll, to maintain the device substantially co-axial with the roll.

7. The combination with a threaded nonrotating roll-supporting spindle, and a return spring, of a drum cooperating with said spindle and spring to limit dispensing rotation through endY-.fise movement aiongh said spindle, and thereafter to move reverscly under the action of the spring, constituting a roll mounting upon which a wound roll may be slipped, and having a roll-engaging device over which the roll may slide in being applied to the drum, and which then expands to bite into the roll-interior for enforcing rotation of the drum and roll in unison.

8. In a dispensing fixture having a quickthreaded spindle determining the extent of the delivery action, a roll-supporting device i including a female screw coacting with such spindle and having in combination a portion to occupy the interior of the roll, and a` flat spring having promincnces intermediate its length to engage the roll-interior and enforce rotation of the roll and device in unison.

9. In a dispensing fixture having a quickthreaded' spindle determining the extent of the delivery action, a roll-supporting device including a female screw coacting with such' spindle and having in combination a portion to occupy the interior of the roll, and means for locking the device to the roll-interior to prevent relative rotation comprising a longitudinal compression element corrugated transversely of its length.

GEORGE T. JOHNSON. 

